On September 29, Park People gathered on the hill of East Lynn Park to hear the inspiring story of how this park has revitalized to become the hub of a safe, engaged community. Only a few years ago, East Lynn Park (on the south side of Danforth Avenue between Coxwell and Woodbine) was a haven for drugs and crime. The drug dealers barely went to the effort of hiding their enterprise, and needles were regularly found in the sandboxes.

A neighbourhood group called DECA formed, and aimed to revitalize their public space. After the neighbours began vocalizing their concerns and making inroads with Parks & Rec and City Hall, the park turned itself around in two or three years, and when the drug dealers saw the strollers, they left. Continue reading →

There is a new park taking shape – well, pretty much done really – underneath the Eastern Avenue bridge, where it spans the Don River. I know this area well, and believe me, it was a sketchy area until the City figured out what to do with it. The townies called in landscape and public space planners Phillips-Farevaag-Smallberg to come up with some ideas. This is the same team that designed the award winning Sherbourne Park/Common down near the Corus Building on Queens Quay. The result is that they’ve managed to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. Continue reading →

In many ways, the benefits of great city parks are so numerous and self- evident that Toronto and most other cities take them for granted. Only in recent decades, as cities have struggled to maintain parks, has significant research been undertaken to quantify their benefits. This research proves that investment in and care of city parks has many positive returns — a win for local business is also a win for public health, a win for social justice is also a win for the environment. Continue reading →

In a previous p0st, I listed the seven guiding principles of the Council approved, Park Plan. Item six of that plan – community engagement – got me to thinking it might be nice for the Friends of Dieppe Park to gain the official recognition from Toronto City council.

To that end, I’ve prepared a draft recommendation (to be presented by Councilor Mary Fragedakis) that the Parks and Environment Committee recommend that Toronto City Council support the official recognition of Friends of Dieppe Park. I will be meeting with Councilor Fragedakis early in the new year. Continue reading →

I was flipping through the Parks, Forestry and Recreation pages on the City of Toronto website the other day and came across their recently approved Parks Plan. While the devil is in the details, the plan isn’t too shabby, judging from their seven key guiding principles, presented below in shortened form. The complete document can be found here. Of particular interest to the Friends of Dieppe Park is item Six relating to community engagement.

The Parks Plan will be guided by seven key principles that were adopted by City Council in 2010: Continue reading →

Our parks would be better if they were staffed with a dedicated city worker in each park, had an active local “Friends Of” group and were supported by private donations. These are some of the recommendations in a new report issued today by Park People, the Toronto Alliance for Better Parks. Pathway for Parks: A New Way Forward for Toronto Parks is the result of research and consultations with park advocates across North America as well as the collective experience of park volunteers and experts in the growing Toronto parks movement. Continue reading →

Friends of Dieppe Park is a volunteer group that works collaboratively to improve the green space, climate change resilience, cultural and recreational facilities at Dieppe Park. We are a recognized vehicle for our community to liase and work with Toronto , Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR) and our local councilor to address issues that affect our park. We are a diverse group who share new ideas, respect other points of view, and participate in a collaborative process to create a vibrant community park. We invite you to join Friends of Dieppe Park. What we do in the park today will have a continuing effect on the park for decades to come! – Ed Horner